Airplane



w. B. sToUT 1,859,807

AIRLANE Filed March 28. 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 24, 1932.

mi uw n m5 O wm-n ma A at@ Mm .W 1w mml OOQOOO W. B. STOUT May 24, 1932.

AIRPLANE Filed March 28.

1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 24, 1932 l UNITED STATES PATENT orl-lcE WILLIAIB. STOUT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN AIBILANE Application illed Iiarch 28, 1980. Serial lo. 439,784.

This invention relates to airplanes and has particular reference to the fuselage thereof, the principal object being the provision of a new and novel design incorporating certain safety and other features. v f

Another object is to, provide an airplane fuselage with a. beam-like keel structure for taking impact forces that may be set up through the contact of the fuselage with the ground or other objects in landing.

Another object is `to provide an airplane having a fuselage and wings, the fuselage being provided with a keel, and means being provided for the direct transmittal of stresses between the wings and the keel.

Another object -is to providean airplane fuselage with a keel and with compression members directly connecting the spars of the wings with the keel.

Another 'object is the provision of meansy for preventing the weight of the engines of an airplane when supported in or by the wings from crushing the fuselageupon im-` pact of the fuselage with the ground.

Another object is to provide a construction for large airplanes particularly suitable for commercial passenger transportation. Another object is to provide an alrplane in which the fuselage is provided with a pluralityyof superposed floors.

Another object is to provide an airplane as above described in which the upper oor in advance of the foremost main sparis substantially free of bracing obstructions. n

Another object is to provideV an airplane in which the spars are continuous throughont substantiallythe span of the wings, the lower members of the spars within the fuselage serving as a floor supporting means.

Another object is to provide a construction for airplanes in which .certain members are prov'ided'prirnarily for increasing the safety factor of the airplane under impacts with the ground, and which members yare made to serve other and useful purposes in addition to their primary purposes.

Another object is to provide an airplane including a fuselage and deep lsectioned wings so constructed and proportioned as to permit the provision ofsleeping berths within the fuselage between the upper andllower limits of the wing and between adjacent spars.

yAnotherobject is to provide an airplane having superposed floors and sleeping berths Aon each of said floors between the fore and tions of parts to be hereinafter described 5 with reference to the accompanying 'drawings, and then claimed, havingfthe above and other objects in view. v

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the suitable embodiment of the present invention, and in' whichlike numerals refer to like parts throughout the several different views,

Fig. 1 is a morevorfless diagrammatic pirtially brokenl side elevation of an airp ane.

' Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken through the longitudinal axis ofthe 30 fuselage and illustrating the construction of the forward portion of the fuselage.

Fig. 4 is a vertical Vsectional w'ew taken transversely of the vfuselage shown in Fig.

3 as on line 4f-4tof Fig. 3.

Fig. 5-is an enlar d sectional view taken either transversely ierough one of the compression members positioned between the eel and the wing spars, or through one of the main spar members, as on the lines 5-5 00 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken transversely through the keel.

Airplanes as heretofore constructed have incorporated no special provision, as far as` I am aware, for resisting in the fuselage itself the impact stresses which may be set up in the fuselage upon contact 'of the fuselage with the ground. In fact, as far as I 'am aware, no serious account has been taken 100 with 1the ykeel preferalbly'aextend directly 4to the lbottom angle .members4 l2jfof nthe Lkeel;

. spending;`l spar-:members asindicatedinhiigs.

The-feect f of -fthe v. cvons'truetionithns fer de,-

vforces acting upon ftheawings eneitran'smitted Vdirectlyto .the keel independfently' of ithe. .usual iframe Workw'forlthewfusleige.` "This -oonstructionlis 'design-,ed :particularly to prelvent fthe 4.Weightorimpactzforeesinthe wings k-from.onushi'ngthe ffuse1ageupon1direot con 'tact of Vthe uselege with :the ground, las :E1n

: suc'h casesithe Eforcesi ane transmittedthr'ough. members :of rample strength, directly sto `l`the keel, .which iis ;providedespeciiinnlly.or me` sisti'ngesuchfirnpactforces..` ltwillfibe'faippan- Lent, however, that .substantially all dfi/these usually `.employed .fas fstnuoturlly 'fneeessaxjy" parts of ainplanes, fon elsef serve: an.; additi'on-l purposein '.the;panticulaneonstrnctionshowm 'lihe construction Eis spatticulalxy zvluhle @where engines :une .supported iin .-or by fthe wings foni'n such. ease upon mpnct-with-*the `.ground fthe weight df the Venginesgnenlfy in-- i creases `the stresses'which-mustrbeltransrnitte'd.

'through'thefuselageftothekeel.

WVhene the ninplaneii's fsuflieientl-y large I provide on.-substantiullyithe:samezlevehasthe;

lower .edge off' the yWings a floor 31?,..- and: :this

`free ofbraeing:restrictions advaneeoithe. forwardlimnin spanandieonseguentliyfmey be provided 'with esents suc-hs as 32' y'(fsee Eins.. l

1in Vthe. fusel'nge Y"beim/een. reach ,pn-ir fof athese;

`.Q ,Iinars I fprovlide .a Compantment 'SUCH-M135'. `on eithenside of fthe compression r`'members 20 -and I .eonnect the .compression A'members vgby :5w partition 36 `provided `with :a door .asueh .as i3? Fleading'thereinto from the :aisle 4.thus provided be'tween fthe .compression members. Within eah `compartment I.35 V1I :prefer 'to provide g a. ;peir 1.offopp'osed seats 38 :in muh :thefsame i. manner zas? in a Pullman :sleeping :car sok ffthatthe :cushions thereof vrneyvibe v`easily :arranged to provide n ibed..

.additional lbed 39 '-mny be 1 pivotally 'seacured'itotheflipperwvallsoithefuselnge-with- Vingeagch =.compatt1nentf fin em'uch Ithe same mnner VVas' fthe iupperbenth lEin fa, Pullman *sleeping ear. VfI :also provide `similar: Acom-- gpan'tmen'ts between theupper .floor 31. and athe flower 'oor y33.'l'ietween the `compression `membens.120 and in .venti'el ali'gnment with the :upper comp`antments35.

I'J the :airplane fis of suiiic'ient :size addi'- "tionalf'sleeping ori power plant quantersmny Vbe providedf within I the "wings proper laten fally "beyond"` the vfuselage', :and zin .such icase .door-Ways --suoh as` VV215 may be @provided vlead- Eing l:intofthe .wings v{trom [the 'fuselage from the 'fiforward upper compartment as indicatfedi .iin fthe fdif'awmjgs.. Where .suoli` k.compartmentsaareftobeemployed! asfsleepingquarters they may? a'nmngedinfamannerisimilar to.

those shown.

From the foregoing it .will he apparent ith-at. I hzwe ,provided .a construction v'for Aair- 'propontionfofrthespace-muys eiutilize'd for 1 pn ssengen .f accommodation.

Fonmiil hanges be imode in the spe ei'iic lern'loodiment.-y the invention ydescribed Without' :departing i'om. thej spiiiit :and :substa'nee i of fthe Pbroad invention,` the f scope `.of 'whih is lcommensurate `with :the yappended. @'l'ms;

1an z.ziinplane,iin, eombination, a f'use- 4g'lage havin'gzfa kellibuilt into -theflower ypart thereof fon .resisting i'rnpruetV fol-ces;V wings l'hmiinglongituiiinul s parstherin, al1/engine supported?hyfsidsspans;nndmeansfor t1'unstIritting'impPlateformesfmitingnonenidengineatov .said 4"l'eel :independent151 of -said fuselage.

,2; In anfinplanejin scnmbinntifon, a 'fuseilagefhamingm .keel "built finto the-llower part thereof fon resi's'tingj impaot `forees, `Wings ih avling'longitudmlespurs ytherein', `un 'engine supportedzbysaidi spurs.. andlmeans `fortx'ansimitti'ng Limpact forcesracting, Con .seid-"engine to' said keel :independent Ly .of :said vfuselage .oompnising' .compression .and tension 'mem- 1 bers `eonnecltingr sid spans idi'redtl'y- `to'- said (eel- Flin runsziinplu'ne..iin eombinin'ti'om a fuse-- said fuselage. diagonal bracing between said wings and keel, and diagonal bracing between the upper of said floors and said keel, said upper floor between said nose and the foremost of said spars being substantially free of'` diagonal bracings.

4. In an' airplane, in combination, a fuselage, a girder-like keel therefor, wings projecting outwardly from either side of said fuselage, the lower surface of said wings being located substantially midway between the 'top and bottom limits of said fuselage, spars for saidywings, compression members connecting said spars and said keel, sleeping berths arranged between said spars within the top and lbottom limits thereof, and

other sleeping berths arranged below said wings within the fore and aft spacing of said l compression members.

5 In combination, an airplane fuselage y '5 comprising an outer frame work, a rigid longitudiuallyextending keel beam disposed lwithin the lower portion of the fuselage,

; y.winf'gs extending laterally from the fuselage,

sparsin the wings extending longitudinally thereof, vertical columns disposed lin the fuselage and directly connecting the spars thereof, vertical columns disposed in the fuselage and directly connecting the spars with the keel in such manner as to transmit compression forces directly"` from the spars to the keel, and diagonal braces disposed within the fuselage and directly connecting the keel and the spars.

7. In combination, an airplane fuselage comprising an outer frame work, a rigid lon gitudinally extending keel beam within the lower portion of the fuselage, transversely extending wings secured to the upper portion of the fuselage, wing spars extending longitudinally of the wings, pairs of transversely spaced vertical columns directly connecting the spars with the keel beam and braces securedfto the spars and extending diagonally downwardly in a plane transverse of the fuselage and connected at their lower end to the keel beam, the columns forming aisle ways extending longitudinally of .the fuselage and the columns together with the diagonally extending brace forming bays within the fuselage.

8. In combination, an airplane fuselage comprising an outer frame work, a rigid 1ongitudnally extending keel beam within the lower portion of the fuselage, transversely extending wings secured to the upperportion of the fuselage, Wing spars extending longitudinally of the wings, pairs of transversely spaced columns vertically disposed directly connecting the spars with the keel beam and braces secured to the spars and extending diagonally downwardly in a plane transverse of the fuselage and connected at their lower ends tothe keel beam, the columns forming aisle Ways extending longitudinally of the fuselage and the columns together with the diagonally extending members forming bays wit in the fuselage, the columns and the diagonal members being adapted to transmit the weight of the wing spars directly to the keel independently of the outer frame Work of the fuselage.

WILLIAM B. STOUT.

llt 

